From the desk of Steve Shultz:
There is much to learn from the life of Moses...many teach and teach about his life and testimony today. To have life-changing encounters, as Moses did with God, is something we all would like to aim for!
Bob Hartley's words, as usual, are very prolific and prophetic in nature...and more than ever we need to hear "messages of HOPE" in our day. This is a great message of hope from the life of Moses, who was a great messenger of HOPE in his day...yes!
Bob Hartley shares: In this divine visitation, the Lord spoke directly to me about passages from the Book of Exodus that I had read, but had certainly not memorized. He pointed out seven "ascensions" in which Moses was invited to "mount up" to encounter the Lord at various junctures as the Divine narrative of the children of Israel unfolded. This is a report of Moses' first ascension and how it relates to us all.
Enjoy this word by Bob Hartley!
Steve
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Bob Hartley with Michael Sullivant:
The Lord Said, "I Am Opening The Gate Into The Hope Reformation"
Introduction:
"As Moses Was, My People Are On A Journey Of Hope"
Our first published, hopeful, prophetic message of 2014 was entitled, "The Lord Said, 'Stop It And Look Again!' And This Is The Year Of Psalm 67." It covered the first part of several visitations I experienced at the end of 2013 that referred to 2014. Here are some highlights from the first part of my encounter:
• The Lord said, "This is not the spirit of terror year, but the Psalm 67 year."
• God said to us, "I am going to reveal 12 faces of who I am that will empower My people in My ways and make the nations glad. I will be seen to be the Desire of all Nations" (see Haggai 2:6-9).
• He said, "Stop prophesying from below the clouds; wait on Me and you will mount up on eagles' wings and see from above the clouds" (see Isaiah 40:31).
• He said, "I will release My people to leave the bondage and drudgery of negative religious agendas and traditions and the merely human expectations that require them all to just make brick after brick. I will commission them to go forth into all of life to worship Me in the beauty and wonder of the diversity I have created. They are to give back all their unique gifts, talents, and daily works in the neighborhoods, streets, schools, and marketplaces as an acceptable offering to Me, and I will then use them to glorify Me in all the earth."
• He said, "As Moses was, My people are on a journey of hope that will bring reformation to entire cities and nations, and they will come to Me. I have initiated a new exodus and I will bring My people into their promised land" (see Deuteronomy 6:10). (Photo via Wikimedia Commons)
• He said, "I will lead them out of misery Christianity into a hope-filled reformation. You will progress from where you have been into a Kingdom Church, and then to a Reformation Church."
• He said, "I will open up a hope-filled, apostolic reformation blueprint like I did for the tabernacle, by which I will magnify Myself in supernatural and providential miracles this coming year and beyond" (see Exodus 26:30).
• The Lord said that the Body of Christ is "anemic in hope," and He continually charges me, "Do not change the subject," because there is "still so much despair, pessimism, fear, doubt, and cynicism" lurking, both overtly and subtly, in our hearts and minds regarding His "better than" nature and His "better than" plans for delivering His solutions for human life in this world. However, He is promising to trump evil with good and cause hope to be the anchor of our souls as we major on adoring Him well.
The Encounter: The First Ascension of Moses – Advancing From The "First Chamber" Into The "Second Chamber"
In this divine visitation, the Lord spoke directly to me about passages from the Book of Exodus that I had read, but had certainly not memorized. He pointed out seven "ascensions" in which Moses was invited to "mount up" to encounter the Lord at various junctures as the Divine narrative of the children of Israel unfolded. This is a report of Moses' first ascension and how it relates to us all. We will publish the others in upcoming days.
I was taken in the Spirit to the burning bush on Mount Horeb, Moses' "first ascension," and allowed to witness the encounter he had with the Lord there. Throughout the visitation, I was enabled to know and feel the thoughts and emotions of Moses' inner being.
Now Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian, and he led his flock to the west side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. And the angel of the LORD appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. He looked, and behold, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed. And Moses said, "I will turn aside to see this great sight, why the bush is not burned." When the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, "Moses, Moses!" And he said, "Here I am." Then he said, "Do not come near; take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground." And he said, "I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God. Exodus 3:1-6 (Photo via Wikimedia Commons)
There was a Holy Narrator beside me who helped me understand what I saw and heard, and he made references to relevant passages of Scripture. There were other Biblical figures also present – Joshua, Samuel, David, and even the Lord Jesus were there. I knew they all experienced a similar pathway as Moses as they entered and lived out the hope of their callings. I also understood that there are very important applications of Moses' encounter for our journey as the Body of Christ. We, like Moses was, are being invited into an epic transition in our pilgrimage with God.
Look among the nations, and see; wonder and be astounded. For I am doing a work in your days that you would not believe if told. Habakkuk 1:5
By the grace of God, we are transitioning out of a pessimistic "misery Christianity," through the first reformation and periodic revivals that come and go, into a "second hope-filled reformation" that will come and stay. This will ultimately lead us into the times of the restoration of all things (see Acts 3:19-21).
The Narrator referred to the journey of the Body of Christ in the Song of Solomon to give me greater insight into what Moses experienced. As the Bride did in Song of Solomon, we are advancing from the "first chamber/first reformation" reality of Chapter 1 to the "second chamber/second reformation" phase of Chapter 3 (see below). A number of my visitations through the years have incorporated elements of this favorite Song of mine into the revelations the Spirit has delivered to me.
At the burning bush, I saw the Lord swing a "hope gate" open wide to lead Moses from his first reformation to his second reformation. We are presently being invited to enter through this gateway as well. As we do, we will be ushered from the revival and security of the first chamber into a second chamber – a reformation of hope by which we will discover many new facets of God's nature and partner with Him as the God of all of life to bring transformation to whole cities and nations for the glory of Christ. (Photo by David Dixon)
Moses' First Chamber/First Reformation:
This Experience Brings Us Into A Marvelous First Love!
Moses, after seeking to bring justice to his people in Egypt in his own strength by killing a man, fled to the desert and lived there for another forty years.
One day, when Moses had grown up, he went out to his people and looked on their burdens, and he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his people. He looked this way and that, and seeing no one, he struck down the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. When he went out the next day, behold, two Hebrews were struggling together. And he said to the man in the wrong, "Why do you strike your companion?" He answered, "Who made you a prince and a judge over us? Do you mean to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?" Then Moses was afraid, and thought, "Surely the thing is known." When Pharaoh heard of it, he sought to kill Moses. But Moses fled from Pharaoh and stayed in the land of Midian.... Exodus 2:11-15
By the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Stephen adds insight into Moses' story:
"He [Moses] supposed that his brothers would understand that God was giving them salvation by his hand, but they did not understand. ...But the man who was wronging his neighbor thrust him aside, saying, "Who made you a ruler and a judge over us? Do you want to kill me as you killed the Egyptian yesterday?" (Acts 7:25, 27-28).
God had given Moses the awareness of his calling as a hope reformer during his early years in Egypt. However, though he was a powerful prince, he was sidelined from his calling by assaults of the enemy upon his heart that resulted in internal "fissures" of self-strength, guilt, fear, shame, rejection, negation, and resignation. The Spirit made me directly aware of this as I heard the memories within Moses' heart at the burning bush.
The lie that his Hebrew brother declared had stuck in his heart like a poisoned arrow – "Who made you a ruler and judge over us?" These "fissures" would have become "fractures" under the weight of the Divine glory that Moses was destined to experience as the deliverer of Israel had he not received healing for his heart and his hopes in Midian.
I saw by the Spirit that it was in his years in Midian that Moses worshiped the Lord and prayed, built a family, and lived a quiet, pastoral way of life. He enjoyed the peace and security of that era away from danger and the cruelty of Egypt's oppression of the Hebrews. He had escaped the dark cloud of suspicion and accusation that initially haunted him as he left Egypt. (Photo via Wikimedia Commons)
The Narrator said, "Moses' 40-year desert season of life was like the first chamber experience of the Body of Christ in Song of Solomon, chapter 1."
• The Body of Christ initially has a fear of intimacy, a distorted view of our Lord and ourselves, which are overcome by receiving His magnanimous love.
• This experience brings us into a marvelous first love, deep peace, exquisite joy, and strong security in relation to our Lord.
• We settle our sense of identity of being loved by our Lover.
• We see three faces of God in this stage of relationship: Redeemer, Lover of our soul, and our King.
In Midian, Moses was spiritually revived. By the time he turned aside to engage with God at the burning bush, Moses had significantly resolved the things that had sidelined him from his Divine calling and he was poised to enter his second chamber purpose. At the burning bush Moses encountered God, and the hope of his calling was reactivated and restored. He received his final preparations to be launched into God's plan to reveal Himself to the world as never before and to accomplish His mighty deeds of deliverance, reformation, and social transformation. The same promise holds true for the Body of Christ!
Moses' Second Chamber/Second Reformation: The Time In Midian Is Over!
The Narrator then showed me the connection between the journey of the Body of Christ in Song of Solomon, chapter 2, and this new era in Moses' life. A tipping point in our journey of hope is revealed as we embrace these deeper purposes of God for our lives.
• The Body of Christ is tempted to remain in our first chamber of safety and security and isolation from the outside world (see Song of Solomon 2:8-3:1).
• However, we begin to have our hope awakened and established for partnering with our Lord Jesus to bring reformation to the outside world. (I've seen this second chamber of spiritual life in Christ – a "reformation room" – again and again. It holds a healed and expanded knowledge of God for us and endless possibilities of discovering and then serving Him more fully in all of life.)
• The little foxes (enemy assaults and lies of despair, fear, doubt, etc.) that can spoil the vineyards (see Song of Solomon 2:15) must be captured and not allowed to run wild any longer.
• The Body also begins to have a vision of discovering new facets of our God's persona and His intentions to transform the mountains and valleys of the earth far beyond the first chamber.
Deliberately turning into this encounter set Moses up to face down the "little foxes" (see Song of Solomon 2:15) that represented any remaining enemies of self-strength, fear, rejection, negation, resignation, despair, and doubt that would hinder him. There are foes to overcome at the very doorway of this new dimension of the Kingdom of God. (Photo via Flickr by Mike Baird)
...for a wide door for effective work has opened to me, and there [i.e. at the doorway] are many adversaries. 1 Corinthians 16:9
I saw Moses make a conscious decision to "turn aside" from his normal course to engage with this miraculous event that he instinctively knew would alter his life forever. It was only after the Lord "saw" that he had made this courageous choice that He spoke to Moses and revealed Himself and His marvelous purposes to him. The "little foxes" confronting Moses were flushed out of hiding in the heat and light of God's revelation to him regarding his second chamber/reformation commission to return to Egypt.
Then Moses answered, "But behold, they will not believe me or listen to my voice, for they will say, 'The Lord did not appear to you.'" ...But Moses said to the Lord, "Oh, my Lord, I am not eloquent, either in the past or since You have spoken to Your servant, but I am slow of speech and of tongue." ...But he said, "Oh, my Lord, please send someone else." Exodus 4:1, 10, 13
Moses "wrestled" with God through these taunting lies about why he wasn't the right person to lead His people out of captivity. He surmounted these final hindrances in the presence of the One who loved him best. This restoration of hope set him up to discover the Lord in many new dimensions of His nature and equip Moses to partner with God to accomplish mighty exploits in His name, ultimately for the good of all humanity. The Narrator said, "My servants must see that it is the valley of Achor (Trouble) that becomes the door of hope" (see Hosea 2:14-15). It is this insight and consciousness that transforms and mysteriously expands the first chamber into the second.
Our time in Midian is over! We are being invited to turn aside from the past misery...and even our comfort zones, personal comfort/healing and revival...to move into hope-filled reformation that will help usher God's people into our promised land. The Lord said, "Cities and nations are now opening up to receive My help and the spiritual and cultural transformation I have for them to experience."
Through this amazing encounter at the burning bush, Moses' hopes were healed and he was filled with conviction, boldness, divine zeal, and spiritual power as he humbly accepted God's commission to be the leader God called him to be, confront Pharaoh, and set free the Hebrew people from their bondage. This he accomplished in epic and dramatic fashion! The power of this hope he gained at the burning bush also protected Moses and his heart of trust in and devotion to God throughout the entire 40 years of wilderness trials.
Likewise, the Body of Christ, in Song of Solomon, chapter 3, steps out in strong hope and risks the inevitable opposition from both religious and cultural misunderstandings and persecutions in order to follow our Husband into all the world and discover the fullness of His nature, or multi-facets.
We also then partner with Him in His mission to transform the land. The Body will now not be deterred as our hope is fixed on Him and His broader intentions for living life in the Father's great Kingdom. The Body of Christ ultimately will return from our grand adventures with our Bridegroom leaning upon Him – full of adoration and gratitude and giving more glory to Him than ever before.
We will share more about the other ascensions of Moses and how they merge to present us with a Divine "building kit"...a blueprint...that will help the Church to become the powerful transforming entity we are destined to become in this age.
Bob Hartley, scribed by Michael Sullivant
Deeper Waters Ministry
Email: deeperwatersofhope@gmail.com
Website: bobhartley.org
Bob Hartley is the founder of Hartley Institute/Deeper Waters Ministry in Kansas City, Missouri. Bob served as a pastor at Metro Christian Fellowship with Mike Bickle before entering the marketplace in 1983, with a vision to see the marketplace redeemed and cities established that value and love the person of Jesus. He is also the Chief Executive Officer of the Hartley Group, a "Hope Center" for the marketplace, consisting of Hartley's Executive Cleaning, Swift Chemicals & Supply, Prize Properties, and H&H Management in Kansas City, Missouri. Bob is a frequent speaker to youth, churches, businesses, and national leaders throughout America and the world. His quest has been to bring the Kingdom of God into every arena of life and give spiritual tools and equipping to those seeking to know and love God in the midst of their everyday lives. Currently, Bob resides in Kansas City with his wife and four children.
with Michael Sullivant
Radius Group
Email: info@radius-group.org
Website: radius-group.org
Michael Sullivant resides in the Kansas City area, has been married to Terri since 1977, and is a father of five adult children. Their lives have been marked and shaped by a naturally-supernatural relationship with God as unashamed followers of Jesus Christ. Terri and Michael have been involved in active ministry since their days at Miami University in Ohio. They have given themselves to planting communities of faith in several U.S. states, pastoring, teaching, writing, coaching, building leaders, and traveling to offer ministry in many nations. Michael is the author of Prophetic Etiquette, Your Kingdom Come, and a devotional commentary called, The Romance of Romans: God's Big God-Story (2011). Michael and Terri are co-founders of Radius – an equipping ministry that reaches out to many people.
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